Introducing LOOOL, webcomic project used Generative AI
I’m luke Yang, CEO of BELIVVR LOOOL is an AI webcomic platform created by LOOOL INC, that supports Korean and English. There are many bugs, but opened. because we want to meet users quickly.
And, I would like to introduce it to you.
Why did you making webcomics used Generative AI?
It all started with our first product, ComixV(a VR webcomic platform). In 2017, BELIVVR launched ComixV, a VR app and web comic service that uses equirectangular distorted 360-degree images for VRwebcomics. reasons for its failure was that it targeted VR maket, which has more areas to draw than existing mobile webcomic market, but a relatively small market, and ComixV, which tried to showcase its technology as the webcomics industry grew more IP-centered than technology, had difficulty making continuous investments.
As I had experience in AI SW development, When I was making efforts to utilize AI in production, but at the time, I was well aware that AI development requires a considerable amount of capital and effort to be continuously invested, so it was difficult to develop contents and technology at the same time in small company.
Later, we pivoted to a WebXR metaverse platform company that provides technical services to companies based on the Mozilla Foundation’s Hub project, and the general user service was developing a live video platform based on deep-fake AI as the next project. At that time, the name of the project was LOOOL too. Then, one day, I saw the open source StableDiffusion and realized that it was an opportunity to solve ComixV’s problems at once.
Eventually, in February 2023, we had an emergency meeting with our leaders and decided to challenge webcomic services once again. and immediately started developing LOOOL, an AI webcomic platform.
How to approach the AI webcomic market?
We thought about how AI would change the webcomic market and how to gather customers. We didn’t want to repeat the failure of ComixV, which was overly greedy for technology development, and we needed to generate revenue in a frozen investment environment.
Work together on mobile webcomics, which is a big market.
In order not to repeat the failure of ComixV, we decided to challenge the mobile webcomic market, which is a large and proven market, together. Therefore, the new LOOOL project will not only focus on VR but also mobile webcomic services.
We create the webcomic contents ourselves, not just the platform.
Second, even if they had identified the possibility of creating AI webcomics, there were no artists who could create AI webcomics. COMIXV’s approach was to explain VR webcomic technology to mobile webcomic artists and receive manuscripts. At the time, we had time to research and develop the technology, and there weren’t many expected competitors.
However, we decided that the market for AI webcomics was different, and we set a goal to launch within 3–6 months at the earliest, and no later than the second half of ’23.
We also realized that one of the reasons for COMIXV’s failure was that it did not directly own the copyright of webcomics, so we decided to become an AI webcomic production company and an AI platform technology company.
Experimenting with the romance genre to expand the webcomic market with realistic style drawings
After summarizing our goals for the webcomic market and creating a production team, we discussed what genres of webcomics to create. We thought that romance, fantasy, and martial arts were the genres with the highest demand for AI webcomics.
Finally, we decided to create romance, BL, and adult comics as genres that fit the characteristics of A.I., which is good at creating beautiful women and men.
Provide users with free character AI images that are constantly being created
We thought about how to highlight the advantages of AI and attract users, and we came up with the answer: productivity. We decided to take advantage of AI’s inexhaustible productivity by offering free AI images of characters. Our strategy was to compensate for the low number of comics on our fledgling platform by constantly updating AI illustrations of your favorite characters for free.
Immersive generative AI illustration with metaquest
We wanted to showcase how ComixV solved the challenges of creating VR webcomics. While we’ve generated and serviced VR landscapes, no one has done so with characters like we have. We wanted to showcase the possibilities of generative AI in the metaverse with the first VR AI webcomic platform that allows you to immersively view generative AI images.
We have been creating non-3D images and video services in existing VR, so we were able to quickly apply generative AI. In addition, since the web VR comic viewer using WebXR can be accessed without MetaQuest’s app store, we thought there would be a great demand in the adult web comic market, so we included adult content.
However, VR webcomics cannot be viewed for a long time compared to mobile webcomics, so we are developing the technology to create image cuts first rather than creating webcomics with stories. Currently, we are using MONO, but in the future, we will aim for 3D stereo and eventually create interactive 3D animation.
6. Establish an organizational structure that develops in synergy with technology and content
Finally, the most important competitiveness that I thought was most important and that we should continue to create is an organizational structure that develops webcomic production technology.
LOOOL had to meet a rushed launch schedule, so the production team didn’t have enough time to study various AI technologies, but the most important task for the production team is an organization that allows continuous and regular study.
As an organization that directly develops AI-related SW technologies and produces webcomics, we want to create synergy, and as a company that has been doing business based on open source, we want to contribute as much knowledge as we have received from open source groups and communities by releasing our developed SW and webcomic production technologies.
LOOOL aims to be an AI content IP platform
AI technology is developing rapidly, and it is certnly fact that the AI webcomic we created will not be the final AI content. Already, animation production technology through stable diffusion and VTubers used ChatGPT have appeared. The time may come soon when the VR webcomic we created comes to life and plays the role you want, a virtual girlfriend.
Bilbo’s vision of “a world where everyone is a protagonist” may come quickly. There have been many great stories, including classic novels, but we still get excited about new webcomics, movies, and series and consume them with friends. These stories help us see the world from different perspectives and make us feel alive in the same time period together. From mythology and classic novels to popular media’s Frozen and The Avengers, there are stories that resonate with the times. AI can make these stories richer and more fun.
We created LOOOL, a platform that envisions a world where we can enjoy these cool stories together. VVRI, the purple-haired character created by BELIVVR, started in 2021 in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, a provincial city in South Korea. In 2022, we tried to make it a vlogger, and in 2023, we reborn it as an AI webcomic <Drink this, you’ll go into space> on LOOOL
The character’s appearance has changed, the story is changing, but we want to bring the story and life to this character. It could be an animation, it could be a game, it could be a virtual girlfriend brought to life by AI. We will continue to develop content and AI technology. And we hope that LOOOL will be the service that people can fall in love with their favorite story as a result of our challenge. Please love our LOOOL service.
We’ll see you with fun stories and cool technology.
LOOOL — Get premium AI generated webcomics site in VR
